Various appliances have doors that are hinged near a bottom edge, for example, to allow the withdrawal of shelves or baskets on which items are placed or to allow the insertion and removal of items from a cavity of the appliance. Example appliances include dishwashers, ovens, microwaves, washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc. Typically, a user pulls on a top of the door to open it.
The doors may include an outer panel assembly and an inner door assembly. The outer panel assembly is positioned over the exterior of the inner door assembly and is the primary component of the appliance that is visible to a consumer when the door is in a closed position relative to a body of the appliance. Thus, the outer panel assembly may be decorative and is generally aesthetically pleasing. The inner door assembly is visible to a consumer when the door is in an open position relative to the body of the appliance.
Current door construction designs utilize numerous (as many as 18) screws to attach the inner door assembly to the outer panel assembly. The screws are located on a visible surface of the inner door assembly. As such, the screws detract from the appearance of the door assembly and create a surface that becomes soiled through use of the appliance. The screws and the surrounding surface are difficult to clean due to the small crevices that are formed.
Servicing of the doors inner components, such as the controls for the appliance, also requires the removal of the screws, which makes provision of the service more difficult and time consuming and increases the likelihood that the retaining hole for the screw or the screw itself will become damaged. If one or more of the holes in the outer panel assembly is damaged, replacement of the entire outer panel assembly may be required.